


101 ways Steven found out his mother was Pink Diamond

by PaperHatCollection



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, does it count as major character death if that character is rose quartz becoming steven?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-09 23:57:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16459535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperHatCollection/pseuds/PaperHatCollection
Summary: A Series of one shots all revolving around a single question; what other ways could Steven have realized his mother wasn’t who she claimed to be?





	1. 'This explains a lot'

**Author's Note:**

> In which Steven knows about certain events before other certain events, which has a major butterfly effect

“So, whaddya think?” Bismuth asked. This was it. She kept her eye on Steven, on what his response would be, how he’d react. Either this was her second chance to get someone to see her side of things… or Rose Quartz was more stubborn than she’d given her  _ leader _ credit for. 

“You… shattered them.” Steven said, the pieces of the statue in pieces around his feet. He knew it had just been a rock, but…

“That’s right!” Bismuth jumped forward, presenting the Breaking Point with pride. “One shot from this baby will shatter any Gem in the galaxy in the blink of an  _ eye _ .” 

“Shatter…  _ any _ Gem?” Steven asked. Slowly, nervously, his hand briefly resting on his own Gem before pulling his hand back to look at it. There was something to his expression- confusion, questioning, almost as if he was trying to put pieces back together in his head. 

“ _ Exactly _ .” Bismuth took his hand, sliding ths Breaking Point of her arm with a practiced, single movement and turning it around to Stevens, fastening it on his arm. It was a little big for him, but not so that he couldn’t wield it. “Those Homeworld Gem’s won’t be able to retake this planet if their reduced to  _ shards _ .” The final strap was tightened, and she stepped back, admiring her work with her hands on her hips. “ _ There _ . Now you look like you  _ really _ mean Bismuth.”

Steven held his arm up, the Breaking Point a steady, heavy weight on his arm and his mind. He tried to reach back into the farthest corners of his memories, tried to pull anything from his Gem that would tell him when and if Rose Quartz had held this exact weapon- had  _ used _ this exact weapon. But, as per usual, the only memories in his head were his own.

“This… this is it, isn't it?” Steven asked. His expression fell, and realization took its place. “This is what mom used to shatter Pink Diamond.” 

“What?” Bismuth asked. 

“I knew…  _ something _ was weird about the whole thing.” Steven continued. His arm lowered, so the point of the weapon was on the floor. “Cause everyone thought mom must have used her  _ sword _ to shatter her, but even you said that the sword can’t break a gem. This just explains so much.”

“Hold on, time out.” Bismuth held up her hands in a T. Steven paused to look at her in confusion, and Bismuth stared back for a few awkward seconds before turning away and walking to the edge of the platform, sitting down and sticking her feet in the lava. She placed her hands above her mouth and took a deep, calming breath. “Okay, run that by me a second time.” 

“What?” Steven asked. Bismuth heard his sandals on the ground as he approached, and then she could feel his presence by his side. “Um, you mean the part about this being how she shattered Pink Diamond?” 

“Yeah!” Bismuth threw her hands up in the air, turning to meet Stevens eyes. He somehow looked even more confused then she did. “That part about shattering Pink Diamond! When did  _ that _ happen?!” 

“Uh.” Steven rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “It was the think that ended the war… I uh, I’ve only heard about it second hand from the Gems, actually… you’d um, you’d have to ask them.” he explained. 

“Yeah.” Bismuth stood up, looking at something above Stevens head. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

And that was how Steven and Bismuth ended up standing in the middle of the living room, the Gems on the couch, and Steven sitting on the chair nearby. The Breaking Point was laying on the table, and Bismuth’s explanation seemed to hang heavily in the air even after she’d finished talking. For a minute, no one dared to break the silence, as if just talking would set the weapon off. 

“Woah.” Amethyst finally said, the first to speak up. Bismuth wasn’t surprised- an Amethyst was never one to sit in silence for too long. “So… you made this? And Rose…” she trailed off, fiddling with a piece of string on the cushions below her. 

“I… we never knew about this.” Garnet leaned forward, placing a hand on the side of the weapon. “Rose… she never talked about it. Or… or what she did to Pink Diamond. We always just assumed…”

“Yeah, but here’s the problem.” Bismuth held up her hand as she spoke, before pointing at the Breaking Point. “Rose Quartz  _ refused _ to use it. In  _ fact _ , she bubbled me for arguing with her about it, and hid me away in that  _ lion's _ mane without telling any of you about where I was! Where she could  _ forget _ about me and leave my bubble to collect  _ dust _ !” 

She pointed at the animal laying on the floor in front of the door, under the portrait of Rose Quartz. Her voice had raised in anger, and the silence almost felt deafening in comparison.

Garnet stood up, reaching up to dismiss her glasses with a small sparkle, revealing all three of her eyes and the concern and hurt in them. “Bismuth.” She paused, cleared her voice, and spoke a little louder, a little firmer. “We didn’t  _ know _ .” 

Bismuth took a deep breath, allowing the cool air to relax her shoulders, closed her eyes and refocused. She opened her eyes to meet Garnets, and then the rest of the room. “I know that. Rose made  _ sure _ of that. But, here’s the other problem.” Bismuth stepped forward, picking up the Breaking Point. “Rose  _ couldn’t _ have used this.” At the confused looks she received from around the room, she continued. “During our fight, I put the Breaking Point back into it’s vault and locked it back up. The lock was keyed into my unique Gem signature. There was no way for Rose to get it back open without breaking it out- and it hadn’t been touched.” 

She sighed and put it back down. “So, despite  _ everything _ , she didn’t even use the Breaking Point.” 

“So, she  _ did _ use her sword, right?” Amethyst asked, jumping up to stand on the couch, crossing her arms. “Cause I don’t see how else she’d be able to do it.”

“You’re gonna have to.” Bismuth added. “Cause there’s no way the sword I made for her could have shattered a Gem. It’d have broken before she could have done so.” she explained, glancing at the sword leaning against Steven’s sword. Steven squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. 

“So… how’d she do it, then?” Steven asked. 

“She didn't.” Bismuth crossed her arms. “I’m the living proof Rose was willing to bubble Gems and lie about it. Really, the only question we  _ should _ be asking is  _ where _ Pink Diamond really is.”

Garnet defused. 

“She must have had a  _ reason _ .” Ruby insisted, picking herself off the floor.

“She  _ lied _ .” Sapphire, who was sitting on the floor with her face in her hands, ice spreading out from her spot to crawl across the floor and furniture. “What  _ else _ did she lie about! She lied about what happened to  _ Bismuth _ , about what she did to  _ Pink Diamond _ , did we even really  _ know _ her?!”

“Yes! And we’ve always known she never told anyone the whole truth, she must have told  _ someone _ \- what about the others, huh? Biggs and Legs and all the others that got corrupted!” It was almost surreal, seeing Ruby play the role of the level headed one in her relationship. “She never could have predicted that would have happened!” 

“Then why didn’t she tell someone  _ after _ they got corrupted?” Sapphire asked, venom in her voice. She flinched, a hand briefly going to her mouth, before she spoke again with a gentle tone. “And… why wouldn’t she let Bismuth out after the war, if she  _ knew _ ?” 

“I… I don’t kno-” Ruby froze, staring at something over Sapphires shoulder in shock. “Pearl?”

Pearl, who hadn’t spoken a word in this entire conversation, was practically bent over double on the couch, eyes squeezed shut and her hand slapped over her mouth. She looked like she should be screaming into it- but not a sound came out. The Gems who knew exactly what a gag order was and what it did to a Pearl stared in shock and horror at her. 

“Pearl? What’s up?” Amethyst asked, confused. 

“Pearl?” Steven echoed. 

Bismuth stared at them in shock. She knew both of them were young- they’d come  _ after _ the war, apparently, but… had they been told  _ anything _ about Gem culture? She wasn’t sure why… but given what she’d seen of the two of them up to this point, she had some serious doubts they had. 

“Steven.” Bismuth met the kids eyes. He looked worried and slightly panicked and all concerned for his fellow Gem. Yeah, she decided. This wasn’t Rose Quartz- it couldn’t be. “You have to tell he it’s okay to talk?”

“What?” Steven asked in confusion. 

“She’s been given an order not to talk about something.” Bismuth explained, getting down on one kneww so she could meet Steven eye for eye. “By someone she sees as an owner. She… she  _ can’t _ speak up about this, even if that owner is gone, even if she wants to. And she  _ really _ wants to say something.” Bismuth pointed to Pearl, and Steven turned to look at her. “And by this point, I wouldn’t put it past Rose.”

“She wouldn’t.” Ruby gasped. Sapphire put her hand on Ruby’s shoulder. 

“Let… Let him try.” Sapphire whispered. 

Steven gulped, pushing himself off the chair and walked around the table, around the Breaking Point, to stand in front of Pearl. He looked so nervous, so out of place. He reached out, placing a hand on Pearls knee, drawing her attention to him. They met, eye to eye, and they  _ both _ looked like they were about to cry. 

“Pearl.” Steven paused, gulped a second time, and spoke up. “Pearl, it’s… it’s okay. You can talk about this. You can talk about  _ anything _ you want to, no matter what.” 

“Steven.” Pearl slowly lowered her hand, placing it on his and sitting up, tears breaking free from the corner of her eyes. “I’m… I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner…”

“About Bismuth?” Steven asked. Pearl shook her head. 

“I didn’t  _ know _ about Bismuth. I… I never would have thought she’d-” Pearl paused, taking a deep breath. “Steven, your mother  _ couldn’t _ have shattered Pink Diamond.  _ I _ pretended to in her place.” 

“What?” Steven asked. 

“What?!” Ruby and Sapphire asked.

“Woah, what?” Amethyst asked.

Bismuth said nothing. 

“She… well, she couldn’t have done it.” Pearl closed her eyes briefly, gulped, and opened them to meet Steven. Sapphire gasped a second before Pearl spoke. “She couldn’t because she  _ was _ Pink Diamond.” 

“Well.” Bismuth really wished she had some lava to stick her head in. “This explains a lot.” 


	2. Garnet gives him an honest, straightforward answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet does a log of talking, and Steven listens.

“How come nobody told me about Pink Diamond?” Steven asked. He still felt cold… and not just physically. Garnet was next to him, hesitant to leave his side, with Pearl and Amethyst by the controls. Pearl piloting, Amethyst sitting on the dashboard keeping her company. But it was obvious all attention was on him. 

Garnet was silent for a second, hand to her chin, before she lowered her hand and spoke honestly. “Your mother wanted you to have a chance to develop into your own person first, to have a chance to grow without the weight of her legacy on your shoulders. That… was a mistake, and I see that now. Learning about it this way only hurt you, and I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” Steven’s hand was clenching his shirt, above his Gem. “Okay. I… I understand that. But… did she,  _ really _ do it? I thought she’d never…” Steven’s voice trailed off, and Garnet knew she couldn’t keep secrets from him any longer. She hadn’t predicted any of this would happen- Rose certainly couldn’t, and Steven shouldn’t be punished with ignorance for that mistake. 

“No.” Garnet dismissed her glasses, placing a hand on Steven’s shoulder and meeting him dead in the eyes. “She couldn’t have, because your mother  _ was _ Pink Diamond.” 

She allowed Steven time to settle that information in his mind before she continued. She could see a thousand ways this conversation could end up a disaster, if she dumped too much on him, too fast, or was too dodgy with her answers. She could see Steven throwing up a wall between them, or losing his trust in anything Garnet tried to tell him. She could even see futures where he outright rejected the information, falling back on the safe and simple picture of Rose Quartz he thought he knew. 

“She… she was?” Steven asked. 

Garnet nodded. “She was young when she first came to Earth- it would have been her first colony, and she’d seen for herself how Homeworld was merely stealing the life from the planet.” She looked out the window, at the image of Earth getting closer and bigger. “She was unable to make the other Diamonds see reason, and as young as she was they never took her efforts seriously. She could do nothing to stop the colony- not without a fight.” 

“Then, why’d she pretend to be someone else?” Steven asked. He was clearly hurt, everything he thought he knew disappearing under him. Maybe he was even realizing that some of the powers Rose Quartz had had was too much to belong to a normal soldier. But… he was also asking questions, and it was important he got these answers.

“It was supposed to be a way to make sure she wasn’t wrong.” Garnet explained. “To see if Earth really was being hurt- and if Homeworld really was wrong for hurting them. She disguised herself as a Rose Quartz soldier, and through her new eyes, she saw not  _ only _ how homeworld was hurting Earth, but its own Gems as well.” She shook her head, sighing. “Gems that hadn’t come out  _ perfect _ were tossed aside, shattered, or harvested. Gems with talents were stomped into their place, predetermined by Homeworld. Gems with no right to be in charge  _ were _ just because Homeworld decided they should be.”

She paused again. She had to, to allow Steven’s imagination to fill in the blanks, imagine his mother in those situations. When enough time had passed, she continued. “She realized that the whole system was wrong- and so she threw away her title as a Diamond, choosing the name Rose to be hers. She inspired others to rise up- not just to serve under her, as they would have for a Diamond, but to be leaders, equals, to seek out to prove that they were  _ more _ than Homeworld claimed they should be.”

“It meant far, far more for the Gems of Earth to see a Quartz doing the things she did then to have seen a Diamond do them. And Rose kept her Diamond identity secretly, tricked Homeworld into thinking she was still on their side so that she could do what she needed to help the rebellion from the inside. And help the Gems that otherwise would have fallen victim to Homeworlds wrath.”

“How come she pretended to shatter herself, then?” Steven asked, leaning forward, listening to every world. 

“It was a symbolic act.” they were in Earth’s atmosphere now. “Rose wanted to send a message- to Homeworld, for the rebellion, and to herself, I think. A Quartz soldier shattered a Diamond. They weren't invincible, untouchable. And she was forever giving up her throne at the top of the hierarchy and fully committing to the rebellion, to the Gems and the planet she’d sworn to protect.”

“Oh.” Steven looked down. Garnet could end the conversation there, she knew that, and nobody, least of all Steven, would never blame her. They were almost home.

“I didn’t see it coming.” Garnet added. 

“See what?” Steven asked, looking back up at her.

“I was one of the few in the rebellion that knew who Rose really was.” Garnet explained, meeting his eyes once more. “I knew. And I knew about the plan for her to fake her shattering, she  _ needed _ my vision to tell her how it would turn out. And I didn’t see corruption coming, not until it was too late.”

She sighed. A tear fell from her blue eye. “My vision only works for people and situations I already understand. Beyond that there are too many paths available for it to work. I didn’t understand the Diamonds. Rose was young, she didn’t fully know what they could do. It’s  _ my _ fault corruption happened when it did.”

“No, no it’s not!” Steven moved forward suddenly, holding the sides of Garnets face. “You didn’t hurt all those Gems- you didn’t refuse to listen or choose to hurt anyone. The Diamonds did that. Except… except for my mom.” 

“That’s right.” Garnet placed a hand on one of his. “She was always willing to listen.”


	3. She wanted to tell me everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg, for once, knows more about the Gems culture than they do, and he didn't even realize it

“Did mom ever talk to you about… about Pink Diamond?” Steven asked. 

Greg paused. That… that was not what he’d thought Steven would ask. But he knew it would come one of these days. He sighed, brushing some hair off his shoulder and behind him. “There were some things… your mom didn’t like to talk about. I never pressed her for details.”

“Why not?” Steven asked. Greg approached him on the stairs up to Stevens house, sitting on the steps. Steven took a seat as well, the night sky stretching out above them endlessly into the stars. 

“Rose and I talked about tons of important stuff. Music, comic books, getting sand between your toes, y’know, feelings.” Greg laughed, shaking his head. “We both made a lot of mistakes when we were young. I thought disco was coming back, she started a war, I think she felt like she had to tell me everything.”

“Really?” Steven leaned forward, rested his chin in his hands and his elbows on his knees. For a second, he looked  _ so _ much like his mother. “What she’d say?”

“After all she’d listened to me? The least I could do was listen to her when she needed it.” Greg explained. “I’ve never really found out what all the Gem stuff she talked about really meant, but… I got a general idea by the ways she talked about it.” 

“But what’d she say about Pink Diamond?” Steven asked, voice raising a pitch in frustration. He stopped and slapped his forehead. “I- sorry. I just really need some answers…”

Greg placed an arm around his sons shoulders. “Hey, that's okay kiddo.” He smiled, then frowned and sighed. “She said a lot of…  _ things _ about Pink Diamond. I think she was venting. From what I could gather, Pink Diamond was a brat, spoiled rotten by a silver spoon in her mouth and never needing to work for anything. Apparently she was the type to throw tantrums to get what she wanted- even though Gems are made fully grown.”

“Geez, really?” Steven asked, surprised his mom would… say that about someone. Especially someone she’d…

Greg nodded. “But you know what?” when Steven gave him a confused look, Greg smiled at him. “She grew. When faced with responsibilities of her own, she was determined to prove she could handle them. She even started to regret what she’d done when she was younger, started appreciating what she had. And she realized that not everyone had what she did.” 

He leaned forward, mirroring his sons posture. “In fact, she started to realize that there were a lot of people who weren't being treated fairly. That this whole place wasn’t being treated fairly. She even fell in love with the Earth.” he sighed, his eyes turning towards the stars. “I think she always felt like she had to make up for what she’d done in her past. That is would never be enough, that she’d never be able to give back to make up for her heavy past. But I told her, what’s important is who you are  _ now _ , and she was a caring, loving, kind person.” 

“Wait.” Steven’s connection dropped away like a stone as he started to follow what his dad was saying. “Are you saying…”

“I don’t know what all this stuff about Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz really means.” Greg shrugged. “But no matter what name she went by, she was still I’d fallen in love with.” 

Steven felt like his whole world was dropping out from under him. His hand moved automatically, towards the Gem imbedded in his belly. Everything he’d learned flashed through his mind, abilities that he’d inherited from his mother and he’d never seen other Gems use came to the forefront, and how Peridot had talked about Yellow Diamond compared to how people has talked about his mother. He was up and down the stairs before he had any time to think, was running before he even realized his dad was calling out to him. 

He ran. And he didn’t stop. He wasn’t even sure what he was running  _ from _ … just that everything he’d thought he’d known was wrong. By the time he’d stopped to catch his breath, he realized he’d run all the way to the fairgrounds. It wasn’t the first time he’d ended up here- maybe there was even some reason he kept showing up at this place buried deep in his subconscious. Maybe it had something to do with his mother. Apparently everything else did. 

He dropped onto the first bench he came to, taking deep breaths and brushing some hair out of his eyes. His eyes were on his pink sandals, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Was… was his Dad right? Did he really understand what mom had been saying? Did the Gems know? Why wouldn’t she have told anyone else? Why wouldn’t she have told him in the messages she’d left him? Had… had she really been a tyrant in her past? 

“Thought I’d find you here.” 

Steven jumped at the sound of Amethysts voice, and ended up stuck there. He turned around in midair, waving his arm in circles until he was able grab the bench under him. He pulled himself back down to Earth, gravity finally taking back over when he’d touched the ground. He sighed, leaning back on the bench, and looked over to see a purple bird standing on the spot next to him. 

It immediately reformed into Amethyst. 

“Hey, Steven.” Amethyst threw an arm over the back of the bench, sighing and leaning close. “So… Greg told us about the whole… thing. About Pink Diamond. And Rose.” she shrugged, looking up. “Pearl confirmed it. Apparently… she  _ couldn’t _ talk about it or something? And Garnets… Ruby and Sapphire aren't taking this very well.” 

“Oh.” Steven wasn’t really sure what to say. He was silent for a few moments, picking at his shirt. “Um… how about you?” 

She shrugged. “I never knew Pink Diamond, just stories. I knew Rose though, and she was always there for me. It’s kinda just one name for another, you know? Rose by any other name and all that junk.. So I guess I don’t have much to say about it. But… how do  _ you _ feel about this?”

“I…” Steven blinked, looking out over the horizon. “I don’t really know. I feel like I only just found out about Pink, and now I’ve found out she was mom, and know I… don’t know.” 

“Yeah, I get that.” Amethyst leaned forward. “But wanna not know in your house, where it’s warm?” 

“... yeah, sure.” Steven agreed. 


End file.
